


Line of Duty

by unforciablecure



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Canon Divergence, Developing Relationship, F/F, Gotham City Police Department, Gun Violence, Maggie Sawyer Backstory, Maggie Sawyer Hates Gotham, Maggie Sawyer Is A Bulletproof Badass, Police corruption, Post-Episode: s02e07 The Darkest Place, Pre-Relationship, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 16:09:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8673907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unforciablecure/pseuds/unforciablecure
Summary: The first time Maggie takes a bullet happens while she's working as a beat cop with her partner Diaz. It's her fourth month after graduating from the police academy and she's young and a little naïve, fresh faced to the job stationed in Gotham.The second time happens when Maggie is promoted. She's made detective after climbing the ranks through the PD and that comes with all kinds of perks. For one, Maggie no longer has to wear the uniform and she doesn't miss it for a second. Her promotion has the welcome addition of leather jackets and button up shirts.The third time is for Alex Danvers.





	

The first time Maggie ever takes a bullet happens while she's working as a beat cop with her partner Diaz.

It's her fourth month in after graduating from the police academy and she's young and a little naïve, fresh faced to the job stationed in Gotham.

The call goes out less than ten minutes before they arrive on the scene, a radio in about a liquor store being held up in central Midtown. Maggie was excited at the prospect of her very first hold up. Diaz, her partner, was a little more cynical. He rolled his eyes at Maggie's twinge of excitement as she flicked the car siren on because this was _Gotham_ and there was no grey area for sheer, unaltered naïve excitement.

Diaz couldn’t miss Maggie’s dimpled smile growing when he radioed in, telling the dispatcher they were on their way as the car ploughed through the pouring rain. When did it not rain in Gotham? Maggie missed the dryness of Nebraska.

When they arrive at the store, there’s a small crowd gathering on the corner across the street. Maggie dives for the yellow cordon tape in the backseat almost immediately.

'Shouldn't we wait for backup?' Maggie asks, looking to her superior as she vacates the car. They had parked in the middle of the road, sideways to block any incoming traffic. The liquor store stood at the end of the street, dark with caged windows.

'Go speak to the crowd, Sawyer. Draw up a perimeter. Armed response will be on their way’ Diaz instructs and then his voice drops lower. ‘That's what happens when arms incidents are radioed in'

Well, Maggie knew _that_ much but instead of quipping back with the sarcastic reply she so craved, she stayed silent. Maggie had noticed that she'd been doing that a lot around the department, biting her tongue to save her voice.

She nods at Diaz and sets off for the crowd. 'Yes, sir'

Maggie digs in her belt for her notebook and flips it open, whipping a pen out and strides across towards the crowd. The flashing blue and red lights of the squad car creates an almost dream like effect as Maggie's boots swish through the growing puddles of rain.

'I was in the shop when he got in' A woman says, immediately, blonde hair, a little tired around the eyes. ‘I’m the one who called in’

Maggie nods, she would take statements later.

'You got a description?'

'Mid-forties, slim build. I've seen him in the store before'

Maggie's eyes trail to the man standing next to the woman. 'Anyone know the suspect?' She looks at her two most useful witnesses thus far and they shake their heads. ‘He a loner?’

‘Just him and the clerk’ The woman nods. ‘I ran out when he pulled out the gun’

 _Great_ , Maggie thought, _a hostage situation_.

'Ok well I'm going to have to move you back. We're closing off the street until further notice. I will, however, need to take both of your statements so if you could hang along here a couple of blocks away that'd be appreciated’ Maggie pauses.

‘I recommend the coffee place two blocks away. Serves killer espresso and a great place to hide from the rain' They both nod, tight. Cooperative witnesses were always a blessing. 'Great. I will meet you there as soon as we're done here' Maggie continues, ushering them from the street, tucking away her pocket notebook. As this happens, she clears another couple of passers-by and sets about winding the cordon tape from one sidewalk to another.

'What’s the ETA on armed response?' Maggie calls, looking for her partner as she turns around. Diaz was no longer resting against the squad car and was instead the background; heading for the liquor store, a few steps away from the entrance, his gun unholstered, cocked and loaded.

'Dia-' Maggie shakes her head at the recklessness of her superior and sets off in his footsteps, unholstering her handgun as she runs to catch up with him. ‘What happened to holding off for back-up?’

‘You scared or something, Sawyer?’ comes the biting reply, colder than the rain swishing off of Maggie’s hat.

Maggie mirrors her partner’s position, a few steps behind. She wasn’t scared. ‘Just following protocol, sir’

‘ _Protocol_ doesn’t get you the bad guys or the promotions’ Diaz sneers, holding his gun low and towards the ground. They both step closer to the door. ‘Some day you might learn that’

His cockiness rubs Maggie the wrong way but it wasn’t at all surprising.

The men – and it was mostly men – in Gotham PD all had a certain air around them. Sexism was rife; bullying even more so. It was common call around the precinct and sure, Maggie did have those days where she wished for a more open atmosphere. She’d bite her lip to stop herself from speaking out, the temptation to pour her burning hot latte over whatever colleague that was speaking down to her that day ever so tempting with each passing second, but she looked on Gotham Police Department as her very own version of character building. There was no way she would be stuck riding the coattails of petty, meaningless crime in grungy Gotham for the next ten years. _No_ , Maggie would make detective then relocate to another city, one that was far brighter and less soul suckingly negative.

Diaz kicks the door in and Maggie’s eyes widen, her thoughts dispersing. ‘G.C.P.D! Put your hands up’

‘He’s got a _hostage_ in there!’ Maggie interjects her intel. She has a horrible feeling about her first hold-up but Diaz ignores her words and storms through the door without a second thought.

The lights of the store are dim and flickering as the door chime eerily rings out. Diaz powers into the store but Maggie hesitates, her eyes taking in the messy floor. Broken bottles with spilling alcohol shot out during the confrontation. She holds back for a split second, wondering for the first time in her short career if she should defy orders from a superior officer.

A shot rings out and she automatically slides towards the nearest floor shelf, her thoughts shattering as Diaz does the same.

‘ _Fuck_ the cops!’ The suspect shouts, firing repeatedly. The gun shots ring out, splintering shop shelves and scarring bottles of whiskey and rum. Maggie remains tactful, eyes travelling to Diaz.

‘What’s the gameplan?’ Maggie asks, ducking as another shot vibrates off the floor, dangerously close to where they sheltered. The gunshots provide cover as they talk quickly.

‘The plan is you distract him and I kick his ass’

‘Stall until A.R get here?’

‘He’s got a _gun_ , Maggie’

 _No shit, Sherlock_. Maggie rolls her eyes at the way her partner speaks to her; like a six year old no less.

‘He also has a _hostage_ like I told you before you stormed in here, _Rambo_ ’ Maggie cocks her gun. ‘You didn’t radio in for armed response, did you?’ She knew the answer to her own question by the way Diaz smirked and Maggie gave him the biggest shove.

‘Here’s how it’s gonna go; I get up and shoot, _you_ get up and shoot. I’m gonna take him from the left, you go for the right’

Maggie doesn’t get a chance to voice her opposition to his dreadful plan as Diaz stands up, to his full height of six feet, and begins to shoot blindly at the suspect. Maggie doesn’t like to think about the probability that he’ll shoot the clerk by mistake, her worry doubled by the last time they had wasted a few rounds at the gun range. She could still see Diaz’s shots blurred out of the practice silhouette lines by large centimetres.  

‘Give yourself up!’ Maggie calls, her back remaining tightly against the floor shelf as she grips her gun. ‘Throw your firearm _down_ ’

Her voice gets shattered by gunshots, mostly erupting from Diaz’s handgun before he ducks down for cover.

Maggie reaches for the radio attached to her left shoulder. At least one of them was going to be sensible in the situation.

'10-32. Shots fired. _Alfie’s Liquor Store_ , Midtown’

Maggie swears she hears Diaz scoff over the suspect’s returned gunshots.

‘You didn’t have to do that’

‘Actually, I _did_ ’ Maggie snaps as her radio buzzes into life with a _10-4_. At least reinforcements would be on their way now.

‘You’ll never make detective’ Diaz sneers. ‘Not with an attitude like that’

‘And _you_ will? I’ve seen _blind men_  have a better shot than you and don’t even get me started on that insistent egotistical attitude that simply bleeds the second you step foot in the precinct’

‘Fuck you, Sawyer!’

Maggie scoffs at that; her fake laughter subsiding when another shot ripples through the air. Maybe she could have chosen a better moment to stick it to the backward ways of the department.

‘Let’s see your shot then’ Diaz edges and Maggie hates that he has this look in his eye, one that says she’s a coward and that he has the power to make her time as a cop disappear. ‘You’ve not fired a bullet since you got here’

‘A.R will be here soon’ Maggie really doesn’t like the way Diaz’s voice was getting to her, chewing up something unsettling in her stomach. She tries to concentrate on staying present in the moment. ‘They can handle it’

‘The hostage could be _dead_ by the time those slackers arrive’

 _He could be dead already_ , Maggie thinks. If they wasted any more time fighting, he probably would be.

‘So what you gonna do, huh?’ Diaz was sliding to his feet again, stupidly risking everything by peeking over the shelf. The suspect had ducked behind the counter, the clerk nowhere to be seen.

Maggie’s steadiness was slipping. She had a sinking feeling the shop clerk was already dead. ‘I-’

‘You’re gonna follow my orders and shoot, that’s what you’re gonna do’

‘I…’

‘You will or prepare to have your time as a cop ended pre-maturely. Sure your folks in Blue Springs, Nebraska, would be real proud of you’

That was a low blow to bring her family into this. Her upbringing had been mostly spent with an aunt and she hadn't spoken to her parents in years. Now Maggie regretted being the bubbly, overly keen cop on her first week because she had overshared with the wrong person. Maggie could see that now but she knew there was some truth to Diaz’s words.

This was _Gotham_ and your time as a cop was limited if you pissed off the wrong person and Diaz had power. He was in with the lead detectives, the D.A’s office; the big suits who pulled the strings to the puppets that were lower down in the food chain, and Maggie was _exactly_ that. She was just starting out, a beat cop who had just the other week graduated from directing traffic and Maggie had bigger dreams; becoming a detective one of them.

So Maggie unwillingly finds herself rising to her feet, still hidden behind the shelving unit. It was unnerving how Diaz’s words had affected her so easily.

‘You take the right’

Maggie _hates_ herself for it but she nods.

It’s an epic disaster because the floor erupts in flashes of light, sprung with bullets, bottles are broken and Maggie’s almost sure Diaz has wounded the shop clerk in his blind firing. She doesn’t get a chance to check because she’s hit by a bullet, shot by the suspect, ripped through the air so clear and direct that it knocks her off her feet and Maggie loses her hat in the free fall.

The pain is unreal – even with the addition of a standard issued vest – the bullet lodged just under the radio situated on her left shoulder and Maggie struggles to breathe. It’s the first time she’s ever been shot and she hopes that it’s her last.

It’s not.

Against the odds, the suspect is taken out in the shoulder by Diaz and arrested.

He gets lucky, _very_ lucky, because it turns out the shop clerk had been lying unconscious behind the counter while the shooting had unfolded.

Maggie recovers slowly, reassigned to desk duty for the following six months and she barely survives, Diaz’s wicked grin as he stood over her as she writhed around in pain, awaiting the medical crew, ever present in her mind.

She suffers symptoms of PTSD and is assigned a shrink against her wishes.

Maggie pretends to be fine when she attends the weekly sessions, pretends that she doesn’t feel a shot of anxiety and hesitation each time her eyes catch a glimpse of the standard issued glocks attached to uniform because she knows everything she says is being recorded and will find its way back to Diaz in the form of a shiny brown folder as he builds a case to end her career.

Maggie drinks to forget.

* * *

The second time Maggie gets shot happens after her promotion.

She's made detective after climbing the ranks through the PD and that comes with all kinds of perks. It’s a slow process but with age comes confidence and Maggie can finally hold a gun in her hand again.

One positive is that Maggie no longer has to wear the uniform and she doesn't miss it for a second. Her promotion has the welcome addition of leather jackets and button up shirts. It also brings in the fresh waters of co-ordinated ops throughout the city, investigations she would never have gotten close to if she had still been a rookie cop.

Maggie has her own office now and inherits her own coffee machine. Her old partner Diaz is still in the department but on the other side of the building and Maggie is _completely_ okay with that. It was tough being a woman in Gotham PD but even tougher to be taken seriously as a woman in the department. For every female there were at least 8 men and what few women there were, were assigned to desk duty for the duration of their working life and not in the field.

Diaz had been nothing but unsupportive at her wish to become detective but that only stood to solidify Maggie's goals. She didn't need anyone's belief to get to where she wanted to go, especially not a man’s and certainly not a crooked cops.

It was a tough fight but Maggie made the exam and passed the probationary period even if the odds were greatly stacked against her.

* * *

Maggie meets Renee Montoya in her first week as detective and they're similar in a lot of ways.

Renee is a little older than Maggie is and has been a detective for almost as long as Maggie has been in the force. She's also gay which Maggie stumbles upon completely by accident, overhearing another detective gossiping about the alleged bad break-up between Renee and a girlfriend one day in the kitchen.

Renee is confident and sassy yet there's a sadness to her that's apparent to Maggie the very first time they meet and made even more apparent one Friday night when they end up in a dive bar three months into the job.

One second Renee is laughing about a case at work - a stakeout that went wrong before turning completely right - then sniffling back the tears under the subtext of all the bullying and discrimination she's suffered since walking through the doors to the department.

Maggie is sympathetic, tilts her head with open ears and an even wider heart. She tells Renee that she knows what it's like, that she's been there with _those_ guys and the corruption she's not too blind to notice. She tells Renee all about Diaz, about the beat cop corruption, about cases that she knows were stitched up.

Maggie waves down a server and orders two more doubles.

It's a mistake because Renee comes on to Maggie - after last orders - when they're standing outside in the street waiting for their cab to arrive.

Maggie kisses her back but ends things when they break apart and Renee tries to kiss her again. Maggie is sad when she realises that it's alcohol that is the catalyst for Renee's confidence and that’s something she isn't comfortable with.

'We work together' Maggie tells her, knowing her words are weak and she glances down. She feels a little unsteady on her feet. Not too unsteady to miss the way Renee glances away, steps far back, dropping her hands from Maggie's face like they're lead. 'Things could get… complicated if we go there'

Renee mutters something under her breath that sounds a lot like _'always unwanted_ ' and turns away. She's almost at the end of the street before Maggie calls after her.

'Renee... _wait_. Don't go'

It's too late though because Maggie's words disperse into the cold night air in a cloud of condensation and the streetlight above her starts to buzz and flicker.

Maggie stumbles towards the black cab when it arrives, blinded by the shaken look on Renee's face as she left.

Renee doesn't show up for work for an entire week after that. Maggie leaves her countless missed calls but no voicemails. She knows Renee wouldn't listen to them.

They see each other for the first time in a gay bar in the West Village. It's Saturday night and Maggie needs to clear her mind. Work was beginning to stress her out again.

She's sitting at the bar, losing her goal with every passing second, when Renee appears behind her.

'I'm sorry'

Maggie perks up at the gruff voice and tries to appear more sober than she actually is.

Renee orders a gin as she slides down onto the empty stool next to Maggie.

'It's not you it's me' Maggie says, downing a shot.

She would've made a joke at her words if it had of been anyone else sitting next to her bar _Renee Montoya_.

Renee wasn't into dorky jokes and certainly had no time for Maggie’s bad puns.

'Trust me; I should be the one apologising. My ex used to say I was never very good with words, and normally I wouldn’t agree with anything she had to say… but that was about the only thing she was ever right about'

Renee could acknowledge that. She looks at Maggie for the first time in over a week.

'I'm sorry that I tried to-’ Renee glances down. ‘That I kissed you'

'Don't be' Maggie murmurs. 'There's not too many of us going around. You gotta take those chances, you know'

'Yeah' Renee breathes out, heavy. 'I don't know how you do it'

Maggie hails down another shot, pushes the empty glass away. 'Do... what?'

'Be yourself' Renee pays for her drink before glancing at the bottom of the glass, eventually taking a sip. 'Be… _out_ '

'Says the lady sat in a gay bar' Maggie smiles. Renee had missed seeing that dimpled smile. 'You _do_ know where you are, right?’

'Yeah but no one knows me here, not really’

‘You’re out at work’ Maggie rings off, automatically. She doesn't want Renee to know that she had overheard office gossip about her dating life. 

‘It wasn’t exactly a voluntarily coming out party, trust me’ Renee takes a long drink of gin. She looks away, wistfully. ‘I was robbed of that’

‘Why?’ Maggie doesn’t want to but she pries. ‘What happened?’

'Some, uh, photos appeared of me and an ex; surveillance shots taken in my _street_. They appeared in a manila envelope and someone passed them around the precinct like trading cards, pinned them to the notice boards'

'When was this?' Maggie asks, alarmed, eyebrows rising.

'A couple a years back, long before you joined' Renee tries to numb the way Maggie’s concern perks her up. It does nothing to still her crush.

‘That’s…’ Maggie's voice trails off. She had been there at one point in her life. Maggie had been outed and not on her own terms. 'That's _rough'_

'My family disowned me; said I was disgrace to my community'

Maggie sighs. 'I'm sorry'

'Yeah’ Renee’s grip on her glass wavers. ‘It's not been… easy'

Maggie swallows another shot and slams the glass down on the bar. Suddenly, she feels old memories resurfacing. She shakes them off with a tilt of her head.

'How you doing, now?'

'Honestly? I'm faking so much I don't know who's looking back at me in that mirror, you know? I mean, I'm not lyin’ about who I am anymore but work is draining the life out of me and loneliness might just be finishing whatever's left of me after that'

'I'm here for you, Renee, you know that, right? Anytime you ever want to talk'

'I know' Renee says quietly as she stares at the remaining gin in her glass. 'You're a good friend, Maggie'

'A good friend wouldn't have let you walk home on your own the other night' Maggie adds, 'Not in a city like this. That won't happen again'

'I'll keep you to that' Renee downs the last of her gin and orders another. 'What you havin’, Sawyer? Next rounds on me'

Maggie leaves the bar when a woman expresses an interest in Renee and decides that maybe that was what she needed too; a distraction. There was a strip club a couple of blocks away and yeah, normally that wasn't Maggie's scene at all but with multiple shots in her system, tonight she was feeling it.

The club is loud yet quiet and Maggie's still trying to figure out how that could be. The dancers seem to steal the sound from the room, painstakingly beautiful girls dancing around.

Maggie makes her way to the bar and gets a beer. She's oddly surprised to notice that she isn't the only woman in the club although the ratio of women to men is as per usual, predictably low in Gotham. The usual sleaze was there to leer but tonight Maggie would switch off the cop part of her brain and just relax. She makes her way to a vacant couch seat next to a coffee table with a view of the main stage.

Maggie sips her beer for ten minutes but it’s not long before one of the dancers catches her eye and she's enticed into a private booth for a $30 session. She feels a little conned, and so easily too, but beautiful girls have always been her weakness.

The dancer is a tall and strong blonde and she leads Maggie towards the booth, through another door, by taking her hand. She discards Maggie's leather jacket once she’s closed the door and Maggie is eased into a seat as the dancer begins to straddle her waist.

Maggie feels a little uneasy when the girl tells her that she can touch her wherever she likes which Maggie doesn't, of course.

'You a cop or somethin'?' The dancer asks as she discards the scantily clad bikini she had been wearing before grinding down. Maggie figures her hesitation to be a little odd, especially in a place like this but the truth would surely be a mood killer so Maggie settles on another truth.

'I just-' Maggie closes her eyes, tries to hold a poker face. It had been too long since she’d had a one night stand although this would go no further than a dance.

Maggie opens her eyes when the dancer runs a hand through her dark hair, tugging it lightly, urging her to continue.

'I respect women'

There was a little irony to that statement, Maggie mused, in her said predicament, in a goddamn strip joint of all places but it was still true nonetheless.

The dancer leans in at that and for a split second, Maggie thinks they're going to kiss but they don't.

Her hands are inched to the dancer's thighs and Maggie loses herself for a couple of minutes. _Yeah_ , she would definitely be leaving more turned on and lonely than she had been when she had arrived.

It all ends about ten minutes later but the girl gives Maggie her number when she gets up to leave- yet Maggie can't decide if that's a good thing or not. Nonetheless she keeps the scrap of paper with ' _Rose_ ' scribbled on it and tucks it away in a pocket of her leather jacket.

The street outside the club greets Maggie with a biting cold wind as she begins to stroll across the road to hail a taxi down. Before she even gets close, a sudden commotion captures her attention; shouting in an alleyway across the street.

'Listen, you either give me that money or I'll fucking blow your head off!' It was a female voice, a squeaky voice. That was a nice change for petty crime in Gotham. Those stats did exist for a reason. Crime had to have equality, too.

Maggie wasn't sober enough for this, wasn't _cop_ enough for this, not tonight anyway but still, she stops and squints, struggles to see who’s in the alleyway. Maggie’s legs wobble as she moves across the street and closer towards the alley, almost colliding with a fire hydrant in the process.

'I ain't giving you shit!' Again, another female voice.

Maggie sneaks closer. She can see the two figures now, two streetwalkers. Normally they would find work in the East End of the city but the West Village was starting to see an uptake in sex clubs and brothels.

'That's my goddamn money and you know it'

‘ _Yeah_ , you think?’

Maggie’s now close enough to see the revolver the instigator holds in her hands, twisting it as she speaks. Maggie’s knowledge of guns was steadfast but she struggles to place the model, her bloodstream corrupted by one too many shots and beer.

‘Fish sends her regards’

A gunshot rings out and Maggie freezes, rooted to the spot. The first figure holding the gun had shot the other woman in the leg.

She’s alarmed – to say the least - and Maggie goes to reach for her glock, standard issue, in her side belt. That’s when Maggie realises that she doesn’t have it and she blinks.

Maggie strains her mind, sees the gun sitting on her bedside table in her apartment. It was Saturday and she had told herself that she didn’t need it. She was wrong.

Maggie was, however, carrying her badge and phone.

'Drop the weapon, G.C.P.D' Maggie blurts, automatically with a flash of her badge but the figure only turns around at the sudden entrance of her voice.

The figure’s face flashes with surprise but not worry.

Maggie’s eyes fly to the wounded woman lying on the ground, blood was beginning to seep into the alleyway as she rolled around in pain, crying out.

‘Where’s your gun, _officer_?’

Maggie hesitates, her left hand keeping the badge up at arm’s length. She had begun to dial 911 with her right hand tucked behind her back. It took more than a few attempts in her current state.

‘Don’t need it’ she adds, simply, ‘I know you’re gonna drop that gun in that dumpster over there and walk away’

‘You’re… new’ The streetwalker spits, cocking the gun.

The months and months of drinking had dulled down the fear Maggie used to have about having a gun pointed in her face, not the half-assed therapy sessions signed over to her by the department. Maggie wasn’t afraid.

‘ _I am_?’ Maggie replies. She strains to hear the dispatcher on the other end of her cell.

‘Most cops would just run the other way’

‘I’m not most cops’ Maggie folds the wallet with her badge away and slowly moves it back to her pocket.

She looks at the lifeless figure lying on the ground.

‘She needs attention, _medical_ attention’

The gun never wavers. Maggie hopes the dispatcher has picked up her recognised number, a department cell phone, and is tracing the location of her call.

‘Let me help her’

Maggie _foresees_ the shot but she doesn’t expect it.

And this time, she’s not wearing a department vest.

The pain is mind numbing and she clutches her stomach, stumbles back towards the road and falls over under the shimmery light of a street lamp.

She hears the scuffle and knows that the shooter has ran off, her phone lost somewhere between her stumble from the alleyway into the street.

Maggie screams and cries out, closing her eyes at the blood that dampens her hand. She does her best to apply pressure to the wound but the pain becomes all too much and she gives herself over to the darkness within minutes.

It feels like an eternity later when a voice breaks through the murky haze of pain and distance.

'Are you- are you wearing a vest?'

It’s _Renee_.

Maggie swims back to the surface, shakes her head as the pain splinters her side. She can’t feel her legs but she stifles enough strength to motion to the other wounded figure, the streetwalker lying lifeless in the alleyway.

Renee calls it in; nursing Maggie’s wound with her red scarf, made even redder by the pouring blood.

The ambulances arrive followed up by a cop car and Renee rides in the back. She only gets to do this because of her status as detective, flashing her badge and explaining the situation.

It's a close call - one that sways way _too_ close to the edge - but Maggie makes it.

Renee spends the two hour surgery time pacing the waiting room high from three and a half cups of coffee, and punches a vending machine when the slot chews up her two quarters. The doctors won't let her see Maggie for another hour and that sets her off on another rant full of curse words and threats she knows she would never carry through.

It feels like 24 hours later when Renee is eventually called through to the room.

Renee strolls into the white room with much more confidence than she truly feels.

'Please tell me you got the bastard' Maggie stirs as she opens her eyes. She's pale and looks exactly like she should; like she's just cheated death and barely lived to tell the tale.

Maggie is already annoyed about the drips connected to her hands although she understands the need for them with her blood loss. Renee’s eyes move to the vitals machine, double checks Maggie’s heart rate. Ever the cop, Maggie’s heart rate had increased at the mere mention of justice.

'She's been traced to an apartment complex downtown and will be in a cell before morning. How d’you feel?'

'Like I've been shot' Maggie deadpans, wincing.

She’s a little cloudy at first and takes a couple of minutes to string her words together.

'Y'know I always thought it would get easier the more you've done something'

'What you talkin’ about?'

'I've been shot before, back when I was in the division but I was wearing a vest'

'That's the difference' Renee says, pulling a chair over towards the bedside, ‘You were shot _without_ a vest… that’s a bullet wound. It’s gonna hurt for more than a couple a days’

'I was off duty’ Maggie sighs, wincing at another sudden sting of pain. ‘How'd this even happen?'

‘It’s Gotham’

‘What happened to-’ Maggie was starting to remember a lot of the night’s events, ‘The streetwalker… she make it?’

‘They’re operating on her just now’

'I'm moving to Metropolis' Maggie says with a tired sigh and a pinch of realisation, 'Screw this city, I'm outta here'

‘I’ve heard good things about National City, too’ Renee smiles, through everything, she smiles because she understands, ‘But you’ll miss the rain’

‘I sure as hell _won’t_ ’ Maggie huffs, sinking her head further into the pillow, ‘But you’re more than welcome to come visit’

It's only then that Renee realises they're better off as friends.

* * *

The third time Maggie takes a bullet, it’s for Alex Danvers.

Months have slid past since Alex’s realisation and confession of feelings and things are good between them, less awkward.

With Alex’s coming out, Maggie has watched as her confidence has grown, as Alex transformed herself into a clearer, coherent agent and friend.

They still play pool weekly, almost daily, and Maggie has cases which seem to cross paths with the DEO now more than ever. She enjoys working with Alex, enjoys being in National City even more than she had before, and everything is going well between them until Alex gets a girlfriend.

Maggie knows she shouldn’t be jealous, _knows_ that things are the way they are between them because of her own words, her own actions, but things are different now, six months down the line, and it feels like Alex is no longer _fresh off the boat_.

It still hurts, though, when she sees Alex glance down at her phone and grin, the one that fills up her entire face, and Maggie knows she’s lost out on ever being that close to Alex again because it used to be her that held that place.

But still, Maggie plays along. She plays the supportive friend down to a T and not only does Maggie have Alex fooled but also her sister Kara as well. Maggie starts to see Kara a lot around the alien bar and sometimes she tags along to watch them play pool.

As the months go by, Alex begins to only make it to pool night once a week – on a Thursday – her time shifted towards dates with her girlfriend Elena. Kara starts to talk to Maggie more and more at the bar and for a while, Kara becomes Maggie’s pool partner on the odd night she’s there but it’s no replacement for Alex.

It’s a Wednesday when Kara encourages Maggie to put aside the pool cue and have a drink with her. It’s a mistake because Alex’s sister is a light weight in the very definition of the word. Kara becomes an adorable drunken mess and Maggie feels the responsibility to take her home. She calls Alex as they wait on a cab and Kara rambles on about flying and how she could take them both to wherever they wanted to go in the background.

When they get to Kara’s apartment, Maggie is surprised to see Alex is already there, waiting for them in the hallway and Maggie smiles as she swerves Kara away from entering the apartment across the landing.

‘Thanks for bringing her home, Maggie’ Alex tells her, using her own key to open the apartment door. Maggie tries to concentrate, tries to ignore the fact that Alex has probably been out on another date and is looking exceptional in heels and a tight black dress. Still, she drags her eyes over her body but Alex’s back is turned so she misses the interaction.

‘Couldn’t let her fly home’ Maggie says, simply, holding Kara up.

Alex stumbles through the door and almost drops her keys. ‘ _What_?’

Maggie chuckles as she helps Kara navigate through the door. ‘That’s what Kara kept saying, that she was going to _fly_ us home’

‘ _Did she_ , now?’ Alex’s eyes widen in that jokey way they often did. She looks at her sister’s current state; wobbly and woozy. She had a funny feeling that _Supergirl_ would be nursing a very strong hangover tomorrow and somehow that made her grin.

‘She doesn’t hold her alcohol very well’

‘Yeah, I figured. I still feel slightly guilty about that, though. I may have bought Kara a few more shots than I probably should've’ Maggie murmurs and turns away.

‘You _did_?’ Alex doesn’t know why but that makes her smile double in size.

'Don’t _kill_ me, Danvers. I’ll make it up to you’ Maggie grins. ‘I’ll leave you two to it’

‘You don’t have to go’ Alex blurts and Maggie laughs at the way Kara begins to slap her sister’s arm repeatedly.

‘Need I remind you that _you_ have a girlfriend, huh?’ Kara informs Alex, pushing her glasses up from the crook of her nose as she looks serious.

Kara turns to wave at Maggie, pointing between them. ‘ _She_ has a girlfriend’

Alex hesitates in embarrassment and pushes her sister so hard that Kara ends up in her bedroom with the door closed against her childish groan. She’s a little thrown off by the sudden shift in the air and conversation but Maggie just laughs the awkwardness away.

‘I am _so_ sorry’ Alex begins, trying to string her words together as Kara shouts very loudly through the door. ‘About her. She’s, uh, a little loose when she drinks’

Alex finally looks Maggie in the eye again and she smiles, an almost laugh, eyes wide as she throws her hands up. ‘Kinda like me’

‘Your kid sister is cute, Danvers. I’m not surprised’ Maggie says as she turns away. Alex is so glad she does because Maggie’s words take their time to sink in and she’s confused. Was Maggie implying what Alex _thought_ she was implying?

‘Get you down?’

Alex realises she’s been standing in the middle of Kara’s apartment for way longer than she should and nods.

‘Sure’ Alex replies, shouting through to Kara that they were leaving and would lock her door.

‘I’ve not seen you for a while’ Maggie says, breaking the silence between them as they move out onto the street.

It had been a week since they had last seen each other, for Thursday pool night no less. The N.C.P.D were busy running their own investigations so Maggie hadn’t stepped foot in the DEO building for about a month.

‘How've you been?’

‘Good, I’m- doing good’ Alex says, earnestly. ‘And _busy_ , you know, at work and everything with-’

‘You look great’ Maggie blurts suddenly, cutting Alex’s words off. She says it casually but Alex glances down and blushes all the same. ‘Date go well?’

Maggie dies a little more inside when Alex confesses that it went great, that her girlfriend Elena took her to that new Italian place in the West End of the city and Maggie pretends that she doesn’t feel the twang of jealously that settles deep in her chest, suffocating herself with each passing breath.

‘I’m really happy for you, Alex’

Maybe if Maggie said that enough times, she would start to believe it herself.

 _Maybe_.

* * *

The next time Maggie sees Alex, it’s a work thing; an investigation in the middle of the city, an alien murder.

Alex looks a little tired around the eyes, like she’s stressed out about something and hasn’t been sleeping so Maggie asks her if she’s okay and Alex tells her that she is. Maggie doesn’t persist and ask her what’s wrong and maybe that’s a mistake because Alex only seems more and more out of it as the weeks go by.

They continue to meet like that, at crime scenes beside _do not cross_ cordon tape, and Maggie is really starting to worry because the last time that Alex threw herself into the job this much was when Maggie had rejected her, and Alex had seeped into her passive aggressiveness mold to the point of no return.

It’s on a Thursday pool night that Maggie finally loses her patience and pulls Alex across to a booth and asks her what’s going on.

‘I’m fine’

‘No you aren’t, Alex’ Maggie sighs, annoyed by the push and pull motion that’s peppered every interaction they’ve shared in the past couple of weeks.

‘You can talk to me, you know. Now tell me what’s up’

‘It’s nothing’

‘ _Alex_ ’

Maggie’s insistent voice finally pulls Alex’s eyes up to meet her own.

Alex breathes out, clasps her hands, and unclasps them.

‘I don’t know- it’s… _nothing_ ’

‘It’s obviously not _nothing_. You’ve only just looked me in the eye and something's been off with you for weeks’ Maggie murmurs. ‘I’m a detective, remember? I detect’

Not that it wasn’t obvious enough as Alex wore her feelings on her sleeve.

Alex breathes out and glances down.

‘I’m just… I’m-’

Maggie tilts her head and leans forward across the table.

‘Talk to me, Alex. What’s wrong?’

‘I thought it would be easy’ Alex says, quickly. ‘I thought _finally_ it’d be easy because I had realised something about myself that I had been missing, sometimes ignoring, that it would be _easy_ , that _relationships_ would be easy…’

It isn’t exactly a welcome topic of conversation but Maggie stays and she listens as Alex continues, sometimes pausing.

‘But they’re not and I’m just, I’m- so not ready to be with someone who forces me to be another person when I’m around their friends, you know?’

Maggie breaks eye contact with Alex. Now she was starting to get to the root of Alex’s change of mood.

‘Did you break up with Elena?’

Alex shakes her head.

‘We just… fell out I guess? I mean- I don’t know’ Alex sighs. ‘I’m in the _kindergarten_ of dating. What would you do?’

Maggie perks up at that, tries to repeat to herself that Alex is only asking her as a fellow member of their shared community and that it doesn’t mean more.

‘The most important question: Does she make you happy?’

Alex thinks about it, _really_ thinks about it.

Elena takes her to restaurants and they eat takeout in Alex’s apartment on the weekends. Kara has even met her. They do all the things that normal couples do but there’s this uneasiness that tugs away at Alex, erodes her thoughts when she’s alone in her apartment and drinking that old bottle of whiskey because deep down she knows something is missing.

In recent weeks, Alex had felt her cheeks growing sore while she had been around Elena.

She only realises now that the reason for that was because she was forcing herself to smile.

Alex shrugs.

‘I guess’

‘You… _guess_?’ Maggie shakes her head, smirking, ‘You don’t _guess_ that sort of thing, Danvers. It’s kind of the _only_ thing that matters’

‘At first it was this exciting thing… ‘cause she was a woman and she liked me back’ Alex confesses, missing the way Maggie’s head dips at that, like she feels the guilt again, floating back to the surface.

‘I mean, we met in in a _coffee_ shop’

Alex looks up and meets Maggie’s eyes again, intrusively.

‘And we had some good times, we did, but now… now I’m not sure if I ever want to see her again’

Maggie tries her best go-to friend advice.

‘You’ve just had a falling out with her, that’s all’

‘No, it’s-’ Alex shakes her head, more confident than before. Maggie didn’t _know_ her girlfriend – soon to be _ex_ -girlfriend.

‘It’s more than that’ Alex hesitates, breathes slowly. ‘She’s not…’

But Alex stops herself before her words go too far, turn off down a tangent that she’s been down too many times before. She’s not sure if she could live through another friendzoning.

 _She’s not you_ is what Alex stops herself from saying. The words are too painful, too honest because Alex isn’t sure when or if she’ll meet another Maggie.

Alex thinks she’s about to have one of those _spontaneous bursts of tears in a bar_ moments again and gets up abruptly from the table to save herself the embarrassment. She could cry freely in her apartment and eat day old pizza.

‘I have to go’

Maggie watches as Alex leaves, suspended in a moment in time before she gets up and orders a shot from the bar.

One of these days Renee Montoya was going to agree to visit National City. At least Renee would have provided Maggie with sympathy for developing a crush on a co-worker or maybe she’d just be her normal sassy self about it all, now that she had traded in her badge and was doing something mundane and ordinary with her life. Maggie hadn’t exactly been delicate with Renee’s feelings but that had been a completely different situation.

This was Alex and Maggie cared for her a lot more than she had ever said out loud.

* * *

Things are messy between them again, just like the following weeks of Maggie’s initial rejection the first time around.

Alex is so passive aggressive it’s unreal and Maggie grows tired of chipping through the various layers and degrees of disdain and saltiness she shoots her way because Alex says them all with a smile and that’s even worse.

It gets so bad that even _Supergirl_ stages an intervention between them, one day at another crime scene, and that’s when Maggie realises that Alex’s kid sister is in fact _Supergirl_.

‘You didn’t tell me’ Maggie blurts to Alex first thing on a Monday morning in the DEO building, resting against the main desk in the operations room, arms folded.

It explained so much. Why Kara would sporadically reappear and disappear from the alien bar. Why Maggie was sometimes left mid-game by her just as the news flashed through on the background TV screen about some National City emergency.

Alex wonders how Maggie got in the building before her eyes catch sight of a DEO issued visitor's pass that’s pinned to her shirt. She thinks Winn had something to do with it.

Alex looks at Maggie with great annoyance but Maggie seems to be mirroring the same expression right back.

‘Didn’t tell you _what_ , Maggie?’ Alex asks, moodily. She crosses her arms as she glances around, ‘That I _like_ you ‘cause surprise, Maggie,  I do’

Maggie grabs her by the arm suddenly and Alex tries to shrug her grip off but relents when she realises that Maggie is dragging her into a side-room for privacy. She wonders how Maggie has an access pass to a swipe door and whips her head around as she’s pulled inside. It was _definitely_ Winn who had given her access.

‘Well?’ Alex asks, impatiently, swaying on her feet.

‘I know about Kara’ Maggie says after a moment, looking at Alex with a mixture of annoyance and appreciation.

‘Know _what_ about Kara?’ Alex asks, uninterestedly, and Maggie sighs.

‘Who she really is’

Alex snorts. ‘My sister is _not_ in the closet’

Maggie rolls her eyes. _Very_ mature.

‘You want me to spell it out for you? I know she’s _Supergirl'_

Alex turns away from Maggie, flails her hands up. She’s too pissed at Maggie to even deny the accusation of the truth.

‘And that’s one more declaration for you to sign. You available this afternoon?’

‘I’ll sign your secrets act’ Maggie murmurs at its unimportance. Kara’s secret wasn’t hers to tell and she would never out anyone’s secret.

‘But what I don’t get is why you didn’t tell me sooner’

‘Why would I?’ Alex snaps, turning back around to face Maggie. ‘I protect her. She’s my sister’

‘C’mon, Alex, I’m not a _threat_ ’

Alex looks at her with fire in her eyes, like that’s _exactly_ what she sees Maggie as; a threat.

Maggie shifts a little and her DEO visitors pass sways. ‘I don’t want things to be like this between us’

‘Like what?’

‘Cut the crap, Alex. Stop pretending that you’re okay with me when you’re obviously not!’

Maggie doesn’t mean to snap but she does. Alex had pushed her too far this time.

‘ _God_ , do you know how hard this has been for me, to just sit back and take your hissed words through that smile? It’s been weeks, Alex, _weeks_. I- I want us to talk about this’

Alex glances down, stays silent. The fire remains in her eyes.

‘It’s been all kinds of _rough_. It’s affected everything. My attention to detail, made me lose sleep’ Maggie sighs, closes her eyes, ‘I want to go back to how we were. I want you to be able to look at me without that cloud of anger you’ve let consume your soul’

Alex paces the small room and finally turns around.

‘I can’t…’ Alex waves a hand, a feeble attempt to numb her emotions, ‘…do that’

‘I know we’ve got a lot to work on, _a lot,_ but-’

Alex swallows and breathes slowly.

‘I can’t be friends with you, Maggie’

Her voice sounds like _Alex_ again, the Alex before the rejection, before the break-up with her girlfriend.

Maggie feels something inside her break. It feels a lot like her heart.

‘I can’t do that because friends don’t think about what their _friends_ are doing last thing on a Friday night. Or a Saturday or a Sunday’

Alex stays in her spot, about a metre away from where Maggie stands.

‘Friends don’t flirt with each other over a pool table’ Alex holds a hand up as Maggie opens her mouth to speak, ‘And don’t _think_ for a second that I haven’t noticed because I was trying to salvage whatever I had left in me that wasn’t set on you, not that there’s much’

Alex closes her eyes. Her feelings were naked now and she feels exposed.

‘I don’t wanna be friends with you Maggie. I want… _God_ , I want _so_ much more and that’s the problem because-’

Alex cuts herself off. She feels the friend zone sign taunting her forever more but this time when her voice cracks, Alex feels stronger than she had the previous times.

Alex tries to hold her tears back. ‘You don’t want me’

Maggie takes a step closer.

‘But I _do_ , Alex. I do want you’

Alex was crying now, wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her dark polo shirt. She sniffles but doesn’t flinch when Maggie gently moves her left hand away from her face or when Maggie wipes a stray tear away with her own hand.

‘Do you-’ Alex chokes on her words, overcome with emotion. Maggie wipes away another falling tear.

‘Do you really mean that?’

Maggie nods and smiles.

‘I’m not the quickest at catching onto things so I hope you don’t hold that against me’

Through her tears, Alex smiles.

Things improve between them.

They start dating, for one.

* * *

The first few weeks are blissful and Alex has never been as happy.

She’s able to hold Maggie's hand whenever they go out now just like she can kiss Maggie whenever or wherever she liked and Alex isn't going to lie, she does it a lot.

Kara becomes accustomed to their PDA and welcomes her sister's new relationship although it takes more than a few awkward occasions of Kara strolling into Alex's apartment and finding them on top of each other on the couch before Kara realises that she can no longer walk into Alex's place without a knock.

Kara, who is always mortified when it happens. Kara who squeals  _ew, ew, ew_ as she super runs to Alex's bathroom immediately once she realises what they've been doing and what she's walked in on.

'You _sure_ your sister's Kryptonian?' Maggie murmurs as she buttons up her white shirt, the third or fourth time they're walked in on by Kara. She's not angry or annoyed nor embarrassed just calm and maybe a little amused. The last time it had happened, Kara had literally flown in on the them through Alex's apartment window only to find Alex pressing Maggie up against the kitchen counter, making out heavily.

'Maybe she needs those glasses after all'

'I'll talk to her' Alex says, shamelessly watching Maggie adjust her shirt, her hair ravenous and dishevelled as much as her own was.

Maggie smiles and hands Alex her grey sweater up from the floor.

'You better'

Alex introduces Maggie to more of the DEO and they stumble into a routine of using the sparring room, the very room that Kara had been introduced to the effects of Kryptonite in.

Maggie isn't _Kryptonian_ though and things are evenly matched between them. They practice sparring and self-defence techniques whenever Maggie's in the building and things are running quiet.

Sparring sessions which normally result in one or the other, knocked over and on their backs, pinned down while the other asserts dominance.

Yeah, Alex is really enjoying this dating Maggie thing.

It's the very essence of domestic bliss, a type of bliss that neither Alex nor Maggie had ever experienced before.

And then work happens and one of the most trying cases Maggie has ever been assigned on.

It almost takes her back to her days in Gotham; a human ran drugs ring with very alien clientele and bodies were beginning to stray throughout National City like it was going out of style.

It reminds Maggie far too much of Gotham, a kind of darkness she'd hoped she'd never see again.

At the fourth body this week, a Syvillian, she finds blue pills and a store receipt stuffed in his pocket. It's her strongest lead thus far and the paper trail leads her investigation to a club downtown.

Maggie researches it well before she asks Alex to attend with her one night. It reminds her all too quickly of their second case together and for a while Maggie is a little nostalgic.

They dress up a little; Maggie wears her hair down and a black dress. Alex wears a red dress and heels that add a few extra inches to the already existing height difference between them so Maggie has to stand on her tiptoes to kiss her.

'What are we looking for?' Alex asks, holding Maggie's hand as they enter the club. It was much different from the last time they were undercover. This time Alex holds Maggie's hand for a completely different reason and they don't wear masks.

'Something that doesn’t fit the picture' Maggie murmurs, squeezing Alex's hand as they pass through a crowd, 'You want a drink? Might as well enjoy ourselves while we're here'

The night pulls up nothing and if anything, feels like a date bought on company time.

'The last place that Syvillian was seen at was that club' Maggie says to Alex when they're on the stairs back up to Alex's apartment, 'Yet they wipe their security feed; say they do that every night to “protect” their clientele. Something doesn't add up'

It eats away at Maggie until she ends up spending long, late hours at the precinct staring into the investigation board of events for so long that she starts to see double vision. The bodies don't stop coming so she doesn't stop trying.

Alex intervenes when she gets a little snappy, a little _Scrappy Doo_ , and takes her out to a pizza place downtown.

Maggie apologises for how she's been acting for the past month and holds Alex's hand over the table.

The breakthrough comes when the DEO trace a link between the blue pills to a distribution warehouse situated next to the docks.

Alex and Maggie are in attendance together as the bust goes down, cops and DEO officers swarming the place on command. _Supergirl_ was working another operation.

The bust shows up a familiar face in the form of Roulette and the icing on the cake is that it's Maggie and Alex who find her just as she's making a bid for escape.

'Hands up where I can see 'em' Alex orders, glock cocked and loaded, pointed at the red silhouette of Roulette in the dockyard. She was still wearing the same dress from all those months ago.

'C'mon you're not leaving already, are you?' Maggie taunts, unable to keep the smugness from enveloping her voice at finally getting a second chance at her failed bust, 'Things were just getting started!'

Roulette hesitates but doesn't move.

' _Detective_ '

Maggie glances to Alex. ' _Aw_ , she remembers me'

Alex looks on, serious.

'Hands up'

‘ _What_? No lackeys this time? Colour me surprised’ Maggie lowers her gun, reaches for her handcuffs.

Roulette laughs and slowly turns around.

Both Alex and Maggie's eyes shift to the small silvery revolver in Roulette's hand that they had both failed to see in the darkness.

'I think I may have just shifted the odds of this very much into my favour'

Alex remains in her position, hand gun pointed straight at Roulette, Maggie mirroring her position on her left hand side.

'You're outnumbered, _Veronica_ ' Maggie says, 'Drop the gun and we skip filling out the firearm incident form. It's a win, win situation all round'

Roulette shakes her head.

'No, detective' She cocks the revolver, eyes whipping between them, 'I own this narrative'

Alex's eyes widen, betraying her worry and uneasiness. She keeps her gun steady even as the revolver points towards her threateningly.

' _Maggie_ '

Maggie understands that tone, understands immediately what Alex is asking her to do.

Roulette eyes them, coldly, red dress billowing in the gathering wind from the docks. Her eyes betray _I have a gun_ _and I sure as hell know how to use it_.

It takes her a moment but Maggie lowers her gun, as does Alex, and they both place them down at their feet.

Roulette smiles.

‘Good choice, detective’

Alex kicks her glock across the concrete with a thick, scraping sound and Maggie does the same.

'Until next time'

Roulette goes to move away when the noise of the swat team echoes around the pier.

Roulette panics, eyes whipping back to Alex.

She's a shade angrier now and raises her gun, igniting two bullets from the barrel so quickly that Alex hasn't realised what's happening. She feels Maggie push against her, a protective arm being cast out in front of her chest. The force of the bullets knock Maggie unconscious and she falls back into Alex with deadweight and a thick thud.

Roulette runs off into the darkness as Alex stumbles to the ground, cradling Maggie in her arms.

'Maggie! _Maggie_!' Alex panics, cupping her face and holding her close,  _'Oh my god_ , _Maggie_ '

The swat team arrives not long after that and Alex hushes them away, screams for medical and hugs Maggie against her chest.

Alex pulls Maggie's police jacket to the side, digs past her shirt to see the department issued vest and breathes out a heavy sigh of relief at the sight of the two bullets lodged in the black material.

Maggie comes around not long after that, coughing as she clutches into Alex. It takes her a moment to find her voice as Alex _shhhs_ her, tells her to take her time and to _breathe_.

'She _shot_ me. _The girl with the dragon tattoo_ shot me'

Alex laughs through wet tears and holds Maggie close because _of course_ that would be Maggie’s first words after coming around.

'I thought-' Alex chokes, ' _I thought you were_ -'

'D'you know how many times I've done this?'

'Do I even want to?' Alex sighs, drying her tears. She cups Maggie's face with the utmost affection.

'Stop playing the hero, _hero_ '

Maggie groans as she swears that’s the moment she feels the bruising start to appear on her chest and tries to sit up.

' _Whoa_ , whoa, take it easy. Your body will have gone into hydrostatic shock at the impact. A bullet is a projectile that produces wounding and incapacitating effects’ Alex rhymes off at a speed Maggie is too kind to tell her off about, ‘Bruising for one. I know you're wearing a vest but the pain will still be deliberating. I'll check your levels when we get back to the DEO. They'll be fluctuating because of the systematic shock'

'I love it when you talk nerd to me'

Even in the darkness, Maggie sees Alex blush and glance down, the reaction often expressed whenever Alex got flustered.

'Did you _really_ flunk your medical career?'

'I didn't _flunk_ it. I- I just... dropped out and anyway this isn't about me, it's about _you_ and you've just been shot'

Maggie closes her eyes for a second, let's Alex just hold her.

'You saved me' Alex begins, her words heavy and thick, emotional.

'You weren't wearing a vest' Maggie opens her eyes, trying her best not to think of the alternative of what could have happened if Alex had taken the shots.

'I wasn't' Alex admits with a hint of disappointment at herself, 'This was supposed to be a clean-up job, get in, get out'

'Just promise me you'll wear one next time?'

Alex nods. She would.

'Are you strong enough to stand?'

Maggie groans as Alex helps her stand to her feet. She had forgotten how sore it could be to take a bullet even through a vest. Alex dips her head under Maggie's arm to support her and they begin the slow walk back to the squad car.

Alex spends a lot of time testing Maggie's vitals after medical give her the once over.

Maggie is recovering, the large bruise on her chest becoming increasingly more purple as the days progress but things go back to the way they were between them; normal and happy.

It's during the first medical that Alex learns that Maggie has been shot twice before but has only ever taken a bullet for one person; _Alex_.

It makes Alex more than a little emotional at the confession and it's the first time she tells Maggie that she loves her, within earshot of J'onn and Kara, no less.

Roulette is still on the run but Alex knows that their paths will cross again soon.

Maggie rolls her eyes at the mere mention of her nemesis.

* * *

The weeks slide by and Fall becomes Winter.

It's December when Alex suggests a weekend away to officially celebrate their anniversary.

'Hmm, I know you have mixed feelings about the city but what about...' Alex's voice trails off as she looks at Maggie standing in the middle of her kitchen, pouring a coffee, from her position sat on the couch.

'... _Gotham_?' Alex says the word, carefully and Maggie knows that Alex is winding her up to try and encourage some funny quip from herself.

'Not a chance' Maggie hums, trying not to smile as she turns to put the kettle away. She finds a spoon to stir her coffee with and looks at Alex with a challenging lilt and tilt to her head.

'Are you _crazy_? No one has ever gone to that hell hole for a _weekend_ _away_. It's all darkness and moodiness. Vigilantes that only come out at night and it's not ‘cause they're allergic to sunlight or that they've got bad skin'

Alex tries to hide her smile, taken at her girlfriend’s rant. Maggie was taking her suggestion of a weekend away seriously.

'And god' Maggie continues, drumming the spoon against the mug before she drops it in the sink, 'Don't even get me started on the rain'

'I just thought it'd be a nice break for the both of us' Alex stretches, 'Something different. A change of scenery'

'Well, it's a good thing I booked us a hotel in Metropolis then, isn’t it?' Maggie lights up at the grin that spreads to Alex's face at the unveiling of her surprise. 'If you're okay with that?'

‘ _Way_ more than okay’ Alex moves up from the couch, takes Maggie’s mug from her hand and places it down on the counter.

‘I’m so glad I met you’ Maggie says as Alex cups her face, kisses her lightly, ‘You changed my life the moment you showed up at that scene’

‘All that talk of jurisdiction…’ Alex’s voice trails off and she tilts her head, scrunching her face. ‘When you’re really just a _sap_ ’

‘I am not a _sap_ ’ Maggie fights the grin she feels engulfing her face and tugs Alex into another kiss.

‘Okay…’ Alex murmurs between kisses, their lips brushing together as they hold each other close, ‘ _Marshmallow_ ’

‘Don’t make me _regret_ taking those bullets for you’ Maggie tries to hold conviction in her voice, tries her best to sound serious but her attempt disperses when Alex playfully shoves her chest.

‘ _Ow_!’

Alex’s eyes widen. She had hurt Maggie’s wound.

‘Oh my god, Maggie, I’m sorry! I forgot about your-‘ Her eyes grow small when Maggie starts to laugh.

‘ _Gotcha_ , Danvers!’ Maggie turns away, grabbing her mug, heading for an escape route.

‘ _Oh_ you are so dead, Sawyer!’

**Author's Note:**

> I had to get this written because I head-canon a Sawyer/Montoya friendship so hard. Of course there's always the comics, especially _Gotham Central_ which I threw a few references to in this because like Alex, I am a nerd. I like to imagine that this Montoya is _Gotham's_ Montoya because in the first season her character was pretty wasted. Hoping for a Maggie backstory on the show because it's way overdue!


End file.
